Forthcoming trips, camps & speakers

Details of trips and camps will be advised in the monthly ’What’s on’, which is emailed to Botanical Society members in the first week of the month, and on this website closer to the time. Members, please sign up using the link in the latest ‘What’s on’. Non-members and prospective members are welcome but please email nelsonbotanicalsociety@gmail.com for details.

Sunday 11 October
Field trip: Wairoa River tōtara-mataī forest weeding

Following on from our September native plantings of the two grassy enclaves, we are continuing with our annual weeding of this special forest remnant.  The priority is to hand-weed around the enclave forest margins all seedlings of the annual shining geranium (Geranium lucidum) before it flowers and sets seed.  Removing geranium will reduce competition and allow natural recruitment along the forest margin of many native seedlings including mataī and kōwhai.  We hope this recruitment, as well as our plantings, will eventually provide enough shade to better control this invasive weed.   The weeding is for only a few hours – it is leisurely and with no exertion required – plants pull up very easily and good progress can be made in a short period of time.  But as usual, many hands make light work.  The leisurely weeding also provides a good opportunity to chat and get to know  other botsoc members as you graze.  We will also check the state of last month’s plantings and possibly give them a watering if needed.  As usual, we meet at 9am at Brightwater, just off the main highway at the start of River Terrace Road.  Shannel Courtney.

Labour Weekend camp, 23–26 October, Golden Bay

We will be based at Collingwood motor camp for three nights, which provides us with several diverse and convenient options for botanically inspiring day trips.  Mt. Burnett is always popular and is on the programme for one of the days.  We will spend another day up at Cape Farewell, Pillar Point and at the base of Farewell Spit checking out the heathlands of the Old Man Range, the coastal turfs, and dune wetland plants.  We may also get to see the newly ensconsced takahē on Triangle Flat.  It will also be a good time to look for the rare greenhood orchids that occur there: Pterostylis tasmanica and P. micromega.  On our last day we can either further explore either the Wharariki coast, head inland on the Aorere Goldfields, or travel over to the outer coast and botanise around Kaihoka Lakes.  Links to Indigenous/adventive plant lists are in the October ‘What’s On’..

At present there are 12 people signed up for this camp.. There are still places available in the standard cabins that have been booked in the Collingwood Holiday Park From Friday 23rd October to Monday 26th (leaving Monday morning).  Some people are bringing their own caravans or campervans. The cabins have one Queen bed and two bunks and no ensuite bathrooms so shared facilities have to be used.  It is possible that some couples may be able to have one of these cabins to themselves if no more people sign up. 

When these places are taken you would have to book your own accommodation so please let Helen know as soon as possible (helenlindsay3@gmail.com) if you want to take one of these beds. The cost per person for these cabins will be around $160 for the three nights, but more if you want exclusive occupancy. Payment will need to be made to Bot Soc the week before the camp.

Camp, 11–14 December, Arthur’s Pass

It is great to see that 29 people have already signed up for this camp so we should be able to meet our minimum target of 26 to keep the cost to $40 per person per night for the outdoor education centre. The accommodation sleeps up to 40 people.  We have sent an invitation to Canterbury Bot Soc to join us so if you want to go and you haven’t already signed up it would be good to do it soon to reserve your place on the sign-up sheet.  Suggestions of preferred locations to visit happily considered.